I am an evolutionary biologist using empirical and computational tools to study the evolution of sex chromosomes. Specifically, I am interested in why some sex chromosomes turnover more frequently than others, what evolutionary forces drive the suppression of recombination, and understanding the role of intraspecific polymorphism in the evolution of new sex chromosomes. I’ve explored these questions in a variety of taxa, including mosquitoes, birds, butterflies, frogs, plants, shrimp, and flies.

For more details of my research, please visit my website: https://melissaatoups.wordpress.com/

Publications